Combination tool



, March 27,, 1928. 1,664,081

R. L. MEANS COMBINATION TOOL original Filed Dec, 17, 1923 TTTTTT EYPatented Mar. 27, 1928.

. (,UNITEDSTATES PATE or 1 REUBEN LEE MEANS, or VALENTINE, 'rnxasflCOMBINATION moon. I

, Application filed December 17, 1923, Serial mama? R ises; august25,1921

My present invention has reference to a, combination tool. I The objectof the inventionis the prov1.

sion of a tool which may be employed for 6 a great number of purposes bymechanics and others and which essentially includes'a pair of pivotallyconnected handles that merge into jaws whose confronting faces areprovided with series of laterally extending 10 grooves of differentsizes which .are designed for the reception ofnai ls and whichfprovide aholding means therefor when the jaws are brought together so'that thenails may be partly driven without the liability of bend- 16 ingthereof, and thereafter entirely driven home when released from betweenthe jaws by the force of contact of the jaw end of the toolthereagainst.

A furtherobject is the production of a 20 combination toolcomprising apair of pivotally connected handles which merge lnto jaws, one edge ofeach jaw being straight, and the other being arranged at an angle fromits inner to its outer end, both jaws having their confronting facesprovided with lateral grooves for the recept on of nails, whereby saidnails are held in the initial driving thereof, one of said aws beingformed with additional grooves and 10 with arched passages communicatingtherewith, said grooves and passages deslgned for the reception ofstaples which are effectively held between the jaws in the initlaldriving thereof, while one of said jaws has its outer and pointed endformed with a prong whereby driven staples may be extracted.

A still further object is the production of a combination tool thatshall be in the nature extractor, a wire cutter, a wire bender, a nailextractor, and a chisel or screw-driver.

The drawing which accompanies and forms part of this applicationillustrates a satisfactory reduction of my improvement to practice, andwherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspectiveview of the 1mproved tool; I

Fig. 2 is a side elevation looking toward the jaw end thereof; and

Fig. 3 is a. plan view, the aw end of one of the handles being brokenaway so that the upper jaw is removed.

My improved tool is constructed wholly of steel, hardened iron, or othersuitable metal, and includes a pair of oppositely of a nail holder, astaple holder, a staple arched handles 2respectively. "These handles areconnected by a pivot 3. One

notched, as indicated by the numerals 4 and 5v respectively, the saidjnotches beingnormally out of'alinement and providingwire cutters. I I

The handles 1 and 2, at a slight distance fromthe pivot 3, merge intojaws 6 and 7 respectively.v ,The jaws: are substantially V- shaped'inpla-n, or more strictly speaking, one edge of the jaws isstraight and inalinement with the handles-land 2, while the innerportions of, the jawsare widened to their opposite edges and the last-mentioned edges arebeveled inwardly to the outer ends edge offeachhandle, opposite thepivot, is, Y

of the said jaws. .The jaws, upon theirf l inner faces I areprovidedwith series of spaced semicircular transversely arranged grooves 8. Thesizes of the grooves vary, and these grooves are designed to receivetherebetween nails, and when the handles are swung to bring the jaws 6and 7 against each other, the nails will be gripped therebetween so thatthe said nails may be initially driven. Thereafter, the handles aremoved to release the nails from the jaws, and the jaws are again broughttogether. The jaws 6 and 7 serve as hammers and ma be forcibly broughtagainst the nails to rive the same entirely home.

In addition to the semi-cylindrical transverse grooves 8, the jaw 7 hasits inner face provided with other transverse grooves 9. These grooves 9are disposed between the pairs of grooves 8, so that they areintersected by certain of the said grooves 8. The opposed pairs ofgrooves 9 communicate with each other through arched depressions 9. Thegrooves 9 and the communicating depressions 9' are designed forthereception of staples and the jaw 6 when moved against the jaw 7, willtightly hold the said staples which serves as a chisel or as ascrew-driver.

Inward of the end 11, the handle 1 is preferably enlarged and is formedwith a longi- 'tudinal slot 12. 'Theinner wall of thisslot a issharpened, as at '13. The slot is designed to have a wire passedtherethrough which is to be stretched and coiled; :In "the latterinstance only one endof the wire is inserted through the; slot and isgripped by the pointed or sharpened wall 13, and the tool is turned sothat the wire is revolved therearound. The walls of the slot will alsogrip the wire topermi't of the tightening of the strands thereof. "Thusit will 'he noted that dle 2 provides the same with a fulcrum pointwhich materially assists in the extraction of the nail.

From the foregoing description, when taken in connection with thedrawing, it will be noted that my improved tool, while of acomparatively simple and cheaply constructed nature, isxstrong anddurable and is susceptible of successful employment fora number ofpurposes.

Having described the invention, 1 claim A tool for "holding nails orstaples where- 'by such nails or staples may be given an initial drivingmovement into a surface and thereafter fully driven home, comprising a:pairof pivotally connected handles, each of which having one of itsends merging into a "flat jaw and which jaws are brought int-ocontacting engagement when the handles are forced toward each other,each of said jaws having its confrontingface provided with alininglaterally arranged semicircular grooves which vary in area throughoutthe length of the {jaws and which are designed to clamp 'therebetweennails of diiferentf cross-sectionaldiameters to hold thenails'intheinitial driving thereof, one of saidjaws being formed with otherlaterally disposed grooves which are not in alinement with the groovesin the cooperating jaws, and said last-mentioned jaw having archedpassages communicating with the last-mentioned grooves, whereby theshan'ks-and the rounded connecting ends of staples maybe received in thesaid grooves for driving of said staples.

In testimony whereof I a'fiix mysignature.

' V REUBEN LEE MEANS.

the initial

